Autumn By The Shore
Anonymous | Attendee | paid $250
Felt safe: YesRecommends for queer + BIPOC: YesWorth the price: Yes
I came across a poor review from this styled shoot and I wanted to offer a different perspective, not to negate the experience of that person but to share my positive experience from this day.
First and foremost, what I will say as that every photographer walked away from this shoot with gorgeous work. So many styled shoots, particularly on the Oregon Coast, go for thousands of dollars and are multiple day commitments. To be able to create with a variety of models, looks, and locations within a few hours was exactly what I was looking for and hoping to get.
Next, I want to point out that I believe this was one of the first times, if not thee first time the models (note not photographers!) hosted a styled shoot. So was it a perfectly seamless, bespoke high end luxury experience? No. Does everyone have to start somewhere? Absolutely. Do I think the hosts have potential to evolve to offering that type of experience-- absolutely. Modeling in addition to event managing would be a lot for any wedding professional. Furthermore, the couples endured rain, hail, high winds, and freezing ocean water. It was challenging weather to shoot in, let alone to make it look good and effortless while wearing bridal wear. They did so with patience and kindness. They listened to the group for what each persons goals were, and made sure to meet those expectations. I know a couple folks were gunning for one of the couples to go fully submerged in the ocean and the end, but I personally think that would not have been safe given the tides, water temps, and full gown the bridal model was wearing.
I also contend that everyone in the group was a novice photographer. I personally have been working in the wedding industry since 2012, and I know of several others who have been in the business a long time and/or are well established. Working in the industry as a photographer, especially on the Oregon Coast requires a lot of flexibility and leaning into the literal wild nature of the experience and landscape. It should be embraced.
My perception is that the hosts delivered on every aspect that was advertised and did so with kindness and respect to all involved. I love the work I made from this day and feel grateful to have grown my photography community.
Viewfinder Retreats /Autumn by the Shore
Anonymous | Attendee | paid $101
Felt safe: NoRecommends for queer + BIPOC: NoWorth the price: No
I would not personally work with either of these models again, and I would not recommend them based on my experience at this retreat. I also would not attend another event hosted by this group, nor would I recommend it to other photographers.
If you are looking for a photography retreat or styled shoot, I would strongly suggest choosing one organized by an experienced professional photographer with a proven track record of running well-planned events. In my opinion, the lack of experience showed. Whether that was due to the models being newer, the models/hosts being overwhelmed, or the event simply not being well organized, the overall experience felt disjointed, unprofessional, and frustrating.
At several points, the models seemed tired, uncomfortable, disengaged, or bothered, which made it difficult to create the kind of images photographers paid to capture. For a paid retreat, I expected a much higher level of professionalism and direction.
What happened
I want to be clear that this may be personal to my own experience, but it did affect how safe and comfortable I felt at the retreat.
Before the event, I noticed that one of the attending vendors had religious messaging in their business bio. As someone in the LGBTQ+ community who has personally experienced discrimination from religious spaces and people, that brought up a concern for me. I was not assuming anything negative about the vendor personally, but I did want reassurance that the retreat was intentionally inclusive and welcoming to LGBTQ+ attendees.
The situation was mentioned at the end of the event by one of the hosts in a way that made me feel like my concern had been more of a burden than something worth understanding.
My partner, my daughter, and I are all part of the LGBTQ+ community, so this mattered to me. I believe retreats and creative business spaces should make inclusivity very clear, especially when attendees are trusting the host to create a safe environment.
Overall, I would have appreciated more intentional communication, reassurance, and sensitivity around this.
Advice for the host
I’ve been in the photography industry for over a decade. I’ve worked with everyone from agency-signed models who walk runways to people doing their very first session, and I’m very comfortable directing, posing, and creating a good experience for people at all levels and have always had great experiences!
That said, the modeling portion of this retreat was honestly disappointing. Both model couples seemed to need significantly more practice before being placed in a paid retreat setting. One of the male models in particular appeared extremely uninterested, and that came through clearly in his body language. His partner also seemed unsure of what to do throughout the session. Overall, neither couple appeared to have much modeling experience, and even with a lot of posing and prompting, they did not seem especially comfortable, engaged, or confident.
For a paid photography retreat, I expected the models to be prepared, comfortable in front of the camera, and able to help create strong portfolio images for the photographers attending. Instead, it felt like the photographers had to do most of the work just to get usable images. I found myself standing there and not shooting quite a bit.
The event itself also felt very disorganized. One of the biggest issues was that an attendee’s two young children were repeatedly in the shooting areas and in front of photographers’ cameras. They were pretending to be photographers, even using cameras and taking photos, and were constantly in the setups, which made it very difficult to get clean shots. I paid to be there, and there were multiple times where I literally could not get the images I came for because children were standing in the way or interfering with the setup. I had several shots with children literally in the entire frame. The hosts did not address this at all.
I spoke with multiple photographers at the event, and many seemed newer to the industry, so maybe this did not stand out to them as much. But as someone with over ten years of experience, it was very frustrating. When photographers pay for a retreat or styled event, there needs to be a higher level of organization, professionalism, and control over the shooting environment.
Overall, I left feeling like the event did not meet the standard I expected. The models needed more preparation, the environment needed better management, and attendees should have been able to photograph without children repeatedly obstructing the setups.